"HAIRSPRAY" "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" "MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT" "THE PRODUCERS" "JERSEY BOYS"

THE STORY:

Cult director John Waters' 1988 movie comedy is transformed into campy pop art that could be this generation's "Grease" -- and just as conducive to "stunt casting" B-list celebrities.

It's about Tracy, a vivacious teenager just a little too chubby for the in-crowd, and her effort to integrate an "American Bandstand"-style TV show in 1962 Baltimore.

The stage version's big gimmick is preserving the movie precedent of having a man play Tracy's hefty mom. Actor-playwright Harvey Fierstein opens the Las Vegas edition, reprising a Tony-winning role first created for the movie by Waters' late muse, Divine.

ARRIVES:

Previews begin Feb 6. at Luxor; regular (more expensive) performances begin Feb. 17, after an invited-guest gala on Feb. 15. Tickets after previews will be $74.50 and $96.50.

ON BROADWAY:

It's just good silly fun, where the dancing is energetic, the wigs are gigantic and the stylized art direction lifts its color schemes from Lite Brite toys and Good & Plenty candy. "Hairspray" will cure anyone who still labors under the impression that Broadway is more highbrow than the plebeian offerings of Las Vegas.

CHANCES FOR SUCCESS IN LAS VEGAS:

It shouldn't suffer from trimming about 20 minutes of running time and eliminating the intermission for a 90-minute version. On Broadway, the drawn-out finale could be penalized for excessive celebration.

That said, producers Michael Gill and Myron Martin promise "a nice surprise at the end" of a production upsized for Luxor's large stage. The producers also plan to rotate name stars every few months. But, like two convenience stores at the same intersection, will this show complement or compete with the similar-in-tone "Mamma Mia!" next door at Mandalay Bay?"

THE STORY:

On Jan. 9, the Andrew Lloyd Webber melodrama became Broadway's longest-running hit. It has grossed more than $3.2 billion worldwide and been seen by 80 million people.

If you're still not among them, it's a pop-opera of the oft-told tale about a mysterious masked man who coaches a young soprano, then turns into a weird stalker after she spurns him for a younger guy with a better complexion.

ARRIVES:

Previews are scheduled to begin June 4 in a custom-built theater at The Venetian.

ON BROADWAY:

Kind of creaky by now. You realize at least half of "Phantom" is about its own production design. The rising and falling chandelier gets as much applause as the actors.

But the Majestic Theatre production hasn't changed since it opened. If you have seen "O" or "Ka," big moments -- such as the Phantom descending to the stage on a sculpted angel that breaks off from the proscenium arch -- now seem almost quaint.

CHANCES FOR SUCCESS IN LAS VEGAS:

Oh, we can do angel rides. And that's the battle plan for relaunching "Cirque du Phantom" in a compact, 95-minute version that surrounds the audience with today's custom stagecraft. The chandelier will now come together from four pieces controlled by 32 winches that move simultaneously and assemble it before our eyes.

THE STORY:

Eric Idle "lovingly ripped off," as the posters proclaim, the 1975 midnight movie hit, "Monty Python and The Holy Grail." The original casting troika of David Hyde Pierce, Tim Curry and Hank Azaria, all under the direction of Mike Nichols, made the sendup of the King Arthur saga into Broadway's hottest ticket.

The movie's silliness is intact in several verbatim sequences, but the new material tones down the Middle Ages squalor for satiric Vegas glitz. Key quotes from the movie, such as "I Am Not Dead Yet," get their own musical numbers.

ARRIVES:

The first quarter of 2007, in a custom theater at Wynn Las Vegas.

ON BROADWAY:

It's like something that should be on the Strip already. It's superbly crafted, quickly forgotten escapism that isn't above such Vegas standbys as showgirls and picking on someone in the audience.

But as well-done as it is, you can't help thinking -- as you're reciting along with Azaria's French taunting of the silly English Ki-nig-gots -- how yesterday's midnight refuge from local curfew laws is today's $111 prestige ticket for baby boomers.

CHANCES FOR SUCCESS IN LAS VEGAS:

How can it miss? A national tour starting in June will help figure out how to make it work without the original stars (Curry, who recently left the Broadway cast, played it surprisingly straight as King Arthur. But Pierce and Azaria add so much that it's hard to imagine anyone else).

Idle will trim the intermission for a 90-minute production but add a pre-show, featuring a headsman looking for volunteers. Patrons will cross a drawbridge to get to the custom theater. "This is the 'Spamalot' experience, not just the musical," says Steve Wynn, hotel chairman.

THE STORY:

Mel Brooks wrote songs to adapt his 1967 cult movie into a musical showcasing Broadway's new dynamic duo, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane.

The farce concerns a has-been producer and his new accountant, who scheme to oversell shares in a surefire flop called "Springtime for Hitler," then pocket the investors' money after it closes.

ARRIVES:

The (real) producers are in discussions with Paris Las Vegas about the show succeeding "We Will Rock You."

ON BROADWAY:

The live musical has a sparkle the new movie version flattens and bludgeons, proving just how unique a theater experience is.

In December, current stars John Treacy Egan and Hunter Foster found themselves competing with Lane and Broderick, both in the screen version of "The Producers" and the duo's revival of "The Odd Couple" a block or so away.

CHANCES FOR SUCCESS IN LAS VEGAS:

The Broadway show still offers Gary Beach's hilarious director and adds "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" Jai Rodriguez. But the imitative lead performances suggest a Las Vegas version would need bigger names. And the fact that it does tell a story -- however screwball -- would challenge the current drift toward 90-minute editions in which, by union contracts, 10 performances cost as much as eight full-length ones.

THE STORY:

It's the musical biography of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. The show opened in November and took off so quickly that co-producer Michael David says it's both "exhilarating and terrifying."

Unlike Broadway bios of Buddy Holly -- or Johnny Cash in the upcoming "Ring of Fire" -- the Four Seasons offer the rare combination of familiar music with the largely unknown story of the musicians.

ARRIVES:

Not soon enough, would be the facetious answer. Though it's too early in the Broadway run for dealmaking, "there seems to be a natural marriage between this show and your city," David says.

ON BROADWAY:

Director Des McAnuff, whose most relevant credit is "The Who's Tommy," adopts the same cinematic, constantly moving style. But it's not a wall-to-wall hits parade; the drama builds to each explosion of song.

CHANCES FOR SUCCESS IN LAS VEGAS:

Better than for the real Valli, who has cut short two recent engagements for lack of interest. This musical could change that for him, though casino executives might worry that it has too much story and character development for a long-term run.